Ruanlin didn't get much sleep that night. When morning came, he dressed and tasked his servants with helping him pack as many personal items as he could fit into a pair of ornate chests. Varis had given no instructions, so Ruanlin decided to assume there was no limit. This could be his only chance to bring some piece of the human world with him to the demon realm.
While he packed, he sent a servant to ask for Xinyue—but the courier returned with an apology: apparently, Xinyue had been tasked with a scouting mission as soon as he'd reported for duty yesterday. He was already long gone, and even if a message were somehow to reach him, it would be too late by the time he returned.
Ruanlin wrote a letter, leaving it in his room for Xinyue to find. He only realized his hands were shaking when he finally signed his name at the bottom, a smudge of ink marking where the tip of his brush had trembled. Taking a deep breath, he forced any thoughts about Xinyue to the back of his mind. After all, there was one other important person he had to say goodbye to, and not much time left.
An hour later found Ruanlin kneeling in the small temple set close by, just at the edge of the palace gates. Guards stood vigil outside, and Ruanlin was grateful for the privacy. He began the long-memorized motions of lighting incense and reciting prayers, the sweet scent of the smoke and the flickering glow of the candles providing what comfort they could to the dark hollow in his chest.
"Mother," he said, bowing before the tablet bearing her name. "I'm so sorry. I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back here again, so please forgive me. I wish I had more time to say goodbye." Tears filled his eyes, and he blinked rapidly to clear them away. It didn't work, and they dripped onto the temple floor with tiny plinks, leaving dark circles on the polished wood. "You'd think, after ten years of preparing for this, I would be ready."
He drew in a deep breath. It was no use stewing in misery—there was nothing more he could do. This was his fate. "Please watch over Father," he continued after a moment. "I'm sure he'll need it more than ever now."
Ruanlin allowed himself another minute to kneel in the quiet stillness, letting himself cry silently in the sacred space. Then he straightened, scrubbing the tears away. From now on, there would be no looking back, and he would not regret what 'could have been.' He would hold his head high and meet his new circumstances with strength and dignity. That was the only option left to him.
With a final bow, hands clasped close to his waist in formal farewell, Ruanlin rose to his feet. When he emerged, the sun was already high in the sky, bright enough to make him squint. A guard met him on the path back to the palace, informing him that Varis had arrived—and this time, he was not alone. Alarmed, Ruanlin hastened his steps. When he reached the palace courtyard, he stopped in his tracks.
At least ten other demons stood near Varis, but their clothing did not seem like anything a soldier or warrior would wear. Instead, their tunics were simply designed, the sort that allowed for easy movement but offered no protection. They weren't here for an attack, then, thank goodness—or at least, it didn't seem so from what Ruanlin could tell.
"Ah, my little prince!" Varis called when he caught sight of Ruanlin, his smile as sharp as it had been the day before. "Right on time. I brought servants to assist in transporting your belongings."
"I see..."
Sensing the unspoken question, Varis explained, "Though I could simply snap my fingers and have you and your things sent instantly to my realm, the strain on my reserves of power would be significant, at least for the rest of the day. I prefer to spend my energy on more... important matters."
His last few words were heavy with suggestion, and Ruanlin had no trouble guessing the implications. A faint blush stained his cheeks, and he glanced at the other demons to hide his discomfort. Upon closer inspection, he realized there were actually quite a few differences between them despite their shared uniforms: some had horns, others wings, and even those who appeared human at first glance sported defining features like tails or scales.
Fascinating. Ruanlin wondered if there were just as many distinctions among demons as there were among humans. Were they organized into clans and kingdoms the same way human cultures were? Or was there some other way their society was structured? Varis had called himself a 'king,' but perhaps that was only because there hadn't been a better word for what he truly was—or perhaps he actually was some kind of monarch.
Varis certainly looked the part, especially now. He wore different robes than yesterday, these made of fine black material with intricate red embroidery snaking up the panels and along the hems. Ruanlin hadn't noticed the day before, but his pointed ears were decorated with multiple piercings: cuffs, bars, and studs inlaid with gold and silver. His dark hair matched the shade of his robes, and it was much longer than Ruanlin's—long enough that Varis kept a good portion of it pinned in an elaborate knot at the back of his head to keep any strands from falling in his face. Ruanlin had to admit, if only to himself: it was quite a striking look.
"Like what you see?" Varis asked. Ruanlin jerked from his thoughts. One of the demon's dark eyebrows quirked up, but he didn't press, merely waving a hand in dismissal. "Never mind. Are you almost ready to go?"
"My things are packed," Ruanlin said. He turned to the guard who had led him here and motioned to Varis' entourage. "Please show them to my rooms, and ask one of my servants to direct them if needed."
The guard nodded, stopping only briefly on his way out to exchange significant looks with two others on duty. Ruanlin knew they would keep a close eye on him and the demon king, no matter how useless it might be if Varis attempted to harm him. He was thankful for their loyalty, even as he simultaneously wished they wouldn't risk their lives for him. In the end, Varis could do whatever he pleased, and there was nothing any of them could do about it.
From what Ruanlin had gleaned from the scant texts compiled on demons, their power had different 'sources.' To put it simply, Varis' well of power over Ruanlin was immense, and that was because of the bargain made with Zhongfu. Ruanlin wasn't exactly sure why it worked that way, only that it did—and if anything, he was at least eager to get more of an explanation about that in the demon realm.
Ruanlin was brought out of his thoughts by Varis leaning into his space. The demon was close enough that Ruanlin could feel warm breath on his ear when he whispered, "I do hope I gave you plenty of time to say goodbye to any significant others."
When Ruanlin pulled back, blinking in confusion, Varis only grinned. "Oh, don't look so surprised. I could smell him on you yesterday."
"Him?"
"Yes," Varis said, as if the answer should have been obvious. "Your lover, I assume?"
Ruanlin's eyes widened in realization. "What—no! Xinyue is just—he's my friend." He cursed himself silently for letting the last word rise in pitch, which he knew would only cement Varis' suspicions.
"If you insist. Perhaps I was wrong." Ruanlin sighed in relief. "Maybe 'lover' is too generous," Varis added, and the prince tensed again. "A quick 'hit and run' kind of situation, is it? Something to take the edge off, but never too far? Couldn't possibly tie yourself to a human when your cursed future is set as a demon's bride, after all."
Varis' voice was low, carrying a strange note of satisfaction—or maybe even challenge. Ruanlin was too flustered to analyze it further. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
The problem was... Varis wasn't wrong. And by the way his lips quirked in amusement, he knew he wasn't wrong. That only infuriated Ruanlin further, and he opened his mouth to retort. "I—"
"Ruanlin."
Ruanlin whipped his head around to see his father standing at the entrance to the courtyard. Thankfully, it looked as though he'd just arrived, having caught only the tail end of their conversation. The prince forced a smile to his face, trying to release the tension in his muscles. "Father."
Zhongfu's gaze flicked to Varis, eyes narrowed. Then he reached to put a steady hand on Ruanlin's shoulder, angling him away from the demon. "Could you give me a moment to speak with my son?" he asked, in a tone that implied there was only one acceptable answer. Thankfully, Varis only shrugged, walking a short distance away. Even so, Ruanlin was certain he could still hear anything they said, assuming his other senses were as acute as his sense of smell.
"I don't trust him," Zhongfu murmured. "I don't know what he has planned, but... just be careful. And don't lose hope."
"Of course." Ruanlin could tell by the tightness of his father's expression that he was trying not to break down. The prince swallowed thickly around the lump in his own throat and continued, "I'll be fine, Father. Please don't worry about me."
Ruanlin wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort Zhongfu or himself. In the end, his words were empty promises, as flimsy as his father's hope that anything could ever be done to free him.
If the demon realm was as full of treachery and dishonest, vile creatures as all the books and legends seemed to suggest... maybe Ruanlin would fit in there just fine.
After all, he had grown so very used to lying to himself over the years.